Woodland Restoration Project
Oak trees on the project site were fairly
well-developed in comparison to other tree species. Their height was constant over the
area, apart from in the area of square 2 where the oak was apparently substantially
shorter than elsewhere (Fig.6). This may be due to competition with the dense rhododendron
in this area. However, it must be kept in mind that the tree heights in squares 1 and 2
were estimated, with an accuracy of +/- 2m. Also the measurements across the site are
based on a very small number of individuals. There may actually be no real difference
between heights.
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However it should be remembered that the oaks
surveyed are older and grow more slowly than many of the other trees on site. Therefore
they may have been well established before the rhododendron became dominant. Full grown holly trees occurred at very low densities across the project site (Fig.7). There was only one large holly tree in each of squares 1,2,3 and 4. Two values are shown for holly density in square 3 in Figure 7. The second larger figure corresponds to the density of holly seedlings in this area. Large numbers of seedlings were growing underneath the leaf litter throughout the area cleared in the pilot project (Plate 10). |